Daydreams

Summary:

Everyone has dreams. Most even have daydreams. Some more elaborate than most, but all on the same premise: visions of the future. My entry for Kingdom Keepers Insider.

Notes:

Cross posted from Fanfiction and KKI.

Original publish date: 1-17-14

Based on this prompt:

IN ONE SHORT PARAGRAPH (8-10 sentences, please), write a scene that Finn, Willa, Charlene, Maybeck, Philby, Amanda or Jess would daydream. In other words: what imaginary world do these characters "escape to" when their imaginations are set free? It may have little or nothing to do with anything Disney. Maybe Philby dreams of rock climbing; maybe Charlene sees herself winning the national gymnastics championships.

Work Text:

The Kingdom Keepers' Wish

The battle was finally over: they had won. They had defeated the Overtakers for the last time. His fellow Keepers pranced happily around him, all in varying degrees of extreme excitement. He grinned, an overwhelming weight lifting off his chest as he realized their late night escapades were finally over. Someone took his hand from behind, and he had a pretty good idea who it belonged to. He glanced over his shoulder, and sure enough, there was Amanda.

"We did it," he said.

"We did," Amanda agreed.

She looked up and their eyes met. As if they were both driven by some invisible force, they began to lean forward, lips slightly parted and eyes slowly closing.

The Gymnast

Charlene took a deep breath, slowly slapping her chalked hands together. Before her stood the final obstacle: the horse. She was going for a perfect score; she was going for the gold. She was dimly aware of fans cheering her name from the stands. Her heart began to pound at the thought of Maybeck, watching his television screen intently. She quickly pushed that thought aside, calming her racing hear; it wouldn't do to panic. She could see the symbol of the Olympics painted on every blank surface, reminding her of her goal: to be the second to ever achieve the ever elusive perfect score. She stretched one last time, took one last breath: this was it; this was for the win. She leapt forward as if shot from Willa's bow, her stride as beautiful and even as a gazelle's, and launched herself into the air, pushing her hands off the horse, and spinning through the air like a top. As her feet rotated toward the ground, she knew it was going to be a perfect landing.

The Dream that wasn't a Dream

Jess was afraid to dream. Having to deal with futuristic images in the night was enough for her. But even she couldn't stop her mind from wandering occasionally, especially in English class. Oddly enough, her dreams were desires for no more dreams. She pictured her future free of her oracle-like powers, a future without everyone relying on her images to the point of doing a mission based on the color of Finn's shirt. She wouldn't be able to bear the guilt if something happened to anyone during the chase of one of these crazy leads. So she refused to dream beyond what was out of her control. No chance she was going to risk her thoughts turning into the horrible visions of the future she had no wish to learn.

Artistic Liberty

Maybeck stood before dozens of flashing cameras, reporters clamoring for his attention as he stood before his greatest artistic masterpiece. He held up his hands in surrender, flashing his famous white smile. "One at a time, one at a time!"

Slowly but surely, the reporters fell silent. Maybeck pointed at a young man whose name tag read 'William': "Shoot."

The teen shuffled through his pad, presumably looking through his notes. "Er, what's the story behind this? As in, who was your muse?"

Maybeck turned to study his art: the picture was of a beautiful young woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty. The girl had straight blonde hair that seemed to shine like gold in the artificial sunlight as it tumbled down her back, falling to her waist; she wore minimal makeup—just enough to accentuate her smiling lips and frame her sparkling blue eyes.

Maybeck's mouth quirked upwards in a smile. "Her name is Charlene."

The Ultimate Dream

Amanda had never asked for much. She had the basic necessities of life: a roof over her head and food in her belly, but there had always been one thing she lacked: a loving family. For years, it had only been her and her pseudo-sister Jess; she hadn't known how much she wanted a real family until one was practically thrust into her face: the Kingdom Keepers. Although being part of their wild world involved more danger in a single night than the average person gets in their lifetime, Amanda wouldn't have had it any other way. But there was one whom she began to think of as more than family. She was too scared to ask him, because she couldn't tell if he felt the same way. Though she hardly dared to think it, she wanted to start a family of her own one day with him. She could almost hear their children laughing as they ran up and down the halls, not a care in the world. Mrs. Finn Whitman; an impossible dream. But she couldn't help but think what a wonderful dream it was.

Skillful

Willa drew the arrow back to her ear, taking a deep breath. The target stood a hundred yards away: a stereotypical circular target containing a single arrow in the direct center from her opponent. She aimed carefully, fixing her eyes on the red bullseye. She let the arrow fly, slowly releasing her breath as the arrow whizzed away. Her arrow split her opponent's straight down the middle, leaving two symmetrical arrow halves on either side of the perfect shot through the center. Willa smiled in satisfaction as she heard the startled gasps behind her. Willa Angelo was not the shy, timid, useless girl everyone thought she was. She had a talent: and she was good.

The Computer and the Imagineer

Philby's fingers tapped at the keyboard, typing line after line of code onto the screen. He pressed the ENTER key, feeling a certain sense of satisfaction as the code was sent. The DHIs were now activated, the hologram hosts prepared to meet the rush of the oncoming Disney crowds. He sighed happily. As mundane as it sounded, he lived for computer code. His dad had once joked that the ran through his veins instead of blood, which was, of course, ridiculous. Then of course, there was the power and responsibility involved in being the head Imagineer. A pop up showed up on the screen, a security video coming into focus: possible OT activity? He cracked his knuckles, taking out his phone to text the Keepers. They had work to do.